Raising chicks from eggs

[poofhair]

Its a Bantam Hen (Is that what you mean?) I think I will leave 1 in there and see what happens. I would think all Hens would take care of their eggs but Im new to this so I dont know much

 

[irinuca]

You will know when your hen goes broody because she will do nothing all day but sit on some eggs. Maybe she would come down once per day to eat and drink but besides that she'll just keep the eggs warm.
So, if you notice this kind of behaviour, yes, you can leave the egg underneath her. If she's walking around all day and just sits from time to time on the egg, it will spoil it, you can't eat it and it won't hatch.
Yes, chickens know what to do with their eggs, but they've been domesticated and they are bred specifically for egg production or for meat or for colors and so on. In the wild a bird would only lay eggs in a certain period of time and after laying a certain number she would sit on them untill they become chicks. The domesticated and bred ones don't do that. They lay eggs all year round roughly and get into a broody state usually once a year and usually in the spring.
Hope this helps.

 

[poofhair]

Hey thanks! That answers alot of my questions! Just some more.. I want my hen to take care of her eggs for at least the first few chicks. I have always liked to watch how they raise them. The reason why I want them to do that for the first few chicks is because I dont have enough room for much more.. especially another rooster lol. Now if the people who raised their parents raised them for meat/eating the eggs only, will that affect my Hen?

 

[cmom]

As stated in the previous posts. Some breeds of chickens tend to be more motherly, broody and others go and lay their eggs and done. If you want the hen to sit on the eggs and hatch them then you should get a bird who has the tendency to be broody, sit on her eggs almost continously.

I don't know where you live suburbia or rural. Many times that dictates how many birds you can have and if you can have Roo's. If you have more than 1 laying pullet or hen you can put all the eggs under the one who stays in the nest boxes the most and sometimes she will become broody.

Check out this chart. It gives you the breeds and broodiness. This chart will give you all kinds of good info and links.

http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

 

[vicky]

This may seem like a silly question... but do you have a rooster???

You said you only had 1 hen, and I think 1 hen and 1 rooster would be a bit full on.

If you don't have a rooster, you won't be able to hatch the egg.

 

[poofhair]

Lol ya I have 1 hen and 1 rooster

 

[poofhair]

Well I guess my hens not a broody. It just laid its second egg and everytime i show it to it the hen pecks at it and then kinda rolls it under it then stands there and then walks away

I am also told sometimes the hen doesnt take care of the first eggs it can still be broody. Is that true? I was really hoping it would be

 

[irinuca]

I'm not sure I understand you right, but are these the first eggs she ever layed? If yes, don't expect her to be broody right now.
It's funny how you say you show her the egg. Sorry to dissapoint you but that won't help

.

 

[poofhair]

I say I show herthe egg because shes never in the part of the cage where she laid it. So if shes not broody now she still can be later? Maybe when she matures more? Yes these are her first eggs.